Sanjay Gupta, director of Kaante and Shootout at Wadala, dies in Mumbai at 59

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, known for directing crime dramas and action thrillers such as Jung, Kaante, Shootout at Wadala and Kaabil, died at his Mumbai residence last night. He was 59.Although details of his death are not known, it is heard that Gupta fell in his bathroom last night. Nobody realised this till early this morning, which is when it emerged that he had died after the fall. Versova police have registered an accidental death report and are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death. Police said they had found no evidence of foul play so far.Family sources and close collaborator Milap Zaveri confirmed the news of his death. Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit expressed shock over Gupta's death in a social media post. He said Gupta had died after suffering a head injury at home.“It is really shocking and sad. I have just received the news that our dear friend and ace director Sanjay Gupta is no more. He died following a head injury at home. Another talent gone too soon. He was a wonderful narrator, a person full of life and a passionate filmmaker. It is a great loss to our industry. I will miss you, my friend. Condolences to his family and loved ones. May he rest in peace (sic),” Pandit wrote. Gupta was married to Anu Lekhi. The couple divorced before eventually remarrying.A career of hits and missesGupta had described his 25-year career as one filled with “hits and misses”. Looking back on his journey, he said he was happy to have overcome adversity and revived his career after difficult phases. He made his directorial debut with Aatish: Feel The Fire in 1994.His breakthrough hit Kaante, released in 2002, featured an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Lucky Ali and Mahesh Manjrekar. The film gave Gupta a strong footing in the gangster-thriller genre.Gupta had said that he did not have to look back after Kaante until a nearly four-year gap before Shootout at Wadala. According to him, 90 per cent of the film industry was unwilling to work with him following his fallout with Sanjay Dutt.“They were told not to work with me after my fallout with Sanju,” Gupta had told PTI. He clarified that Dutt had never instructed anyone to stop working with him, but people around the actor had discouraged others from collaborating with Gupta.Gupta called it an “exceptionally low phase” and said he had almost given up on filmmaking. He began working at a hotel in Khandala for four days a week because he believed he would no longer find work in the film industry.His outlook changed after the birth of his son. Recalling the moment, Gupta said: “I was holding him in my arms and thought, ‘What am I going to leave for him? Since when have I become a quitter?’ I started at the age of 15 and made my first film at 22, so why was I ready to quit at 40?”Gupta then contacted producer Ektaa Kapoor, with whom he had earlier discussed a sequel to Shootout at Lokhandwala. “I picked up the phone and told her, ‘I am ready’, and that was it,” he said.He subsequently approached actors John Abraham and Anil Kapoor, who agreed to work with him despite, according to Gupta, being advised against doing so.Gupta credited Kapoor with supporting him during that period. Recalling Kapoor's public stand, he said, “Anil had given a statement saying, ‘If Sanju directly tells me not to work with Gupta, I will not. But he will have to give me a reason why I should not.’ It was very gracious of Anil to make that statement in my support.”Gupta later said he had learnt to keep his professional and personal relationships separate. Speaking about Dutt, he said the lines between friendship and work had blurred during their association.“After we patched up, we did not work together. We were never friends because of work or got along only because we were working, so it was totally fine. But I realised that you do not have to make everyone your best friend. I trust people easily and open up quickly, but I learnt to strike a balance,” he said.After returning with Shootout at Wadala in 2013, Gupta directed Jazbaa in 2015 and Kaabil in 2017. He later worked on the gangster drama Mumbai Saga, Visfot and The Miranda Brothers.- Ends(With Inputs from Divyesh)